Proposal for Authorization to Implement New Program

Proposal for Authorization to Implement New Program PROGRAM IDENTIFICATION 1.1 Title of Proposed Program: Bachelor of Art/Science in Computer Science Bachelor of Science-Education in Computer Science 1.2 Department or Functional Equivalent: Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences 1.3 College, School, or Functional Equivalent: College of Letters and Sciences (BA/BS) College of Education (BSE) 1.4 Timetable for Initiation: Fall 2012 1.5 Delivery: This major will be available as an on-campus program CONTEXT 2.1 History of Program: The Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences has offered a minor in Computer Science since the 1970’s The department has also supported the major in Management Computer Systems since its inception in the late 1970’s, first as an interdisciplinary program with the Department of Management and later with the Department of Information Technology and Business Education, both departments in the College of Business and Economics Finally, the department has also offered a minor in Web Site Development and Administration since 2001 In the early 1970’s the Department of Mathematics, housed in the College of Letters and Sciences at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater, asked for permission to plan a major in Computer Science At the time, there were only a small number of such educational programs in the State of Wisconsin At the same time the Department of Management, housed in the College of Business and Economics, asked for permission to plan a degree in Data Processing The UW—System denied both requests, but the two departments were granted permission collaborate to offer an interdisciplinary computer major The Management Computer Systems major (MCS) was the result During much of the 1980’s MCS had the second largest number of majors of any program on campus Its graduates have a very high placement rate averaging the highest starting salary of any major on campus Over the years it was chosen eight times by the Association of Information Technology Professionals as the best four-year Information Technology program in North America This major still runs as an interdisciplinary program housed in the Department of Information Technology and Business Education (ITBE) in the College of Business and Economics in cooperation with faculty in the Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences 2 Times have changed since 1970, and computers have become a significant part of daily life in the modern world Now, of the four-year campuses in the UW – System, only UW–Whitewater and UW—Stevens Point lack degree programs in Computer Science It has become an expected major just as Mathematics, Biology, Music, and English are majors expected at any comprehensive university There continue to be a large number of jobs available for graduates trained in Computer Science, and it is predicted that the US economy will be unable to fill the expected openings in computer technology careers This is in a time when the demand for workers trained in Computer Science is high The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists the ten occupations with the largest number of new job openings in the years 2002-2012, and six of those ten are jobs for graduates of a Computer Science program (See section 4.3 below.) Half of the fastest growing occupations for college graduates for the period 2004-2014 are for Computer Science graduates After many years of having no faculty members with a doctorate in Computer Science, in the past six years the Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences has hired three faculty with Ph.D.’s in that area, and a fourth member has completed a Ph.D degree in Computer Science This puts the department in a much better position to support a new major in Computer Science With these recent additions to the faculty together with newly implemented courses in support of the Web Site Development minor and the new Media Arts and Game Development major, the Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences is particularly well positioned to implement and deliver a major in Computer Science 2.2 Instructional Setting of Program: The University of Wisconsin–Whitewater currently has several programs using computer technology It offers a Computer Science minor, a Web Site Development and Administration minor, the Management Computer Systems (MCS) major, the Information Technology major, and the technology track in the new Media Arts and Game Development (MAGD) major Having a strong Computer Science major on campus is unlikely to interfere with these programs, and is more likely to support these programs There is already close cooperation between the faculty in the Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences and faculty in the departments housing these other programs A new major in Computer Science will both complement and support these other programs by making available a wider variety of courses that students in these other programs can take as electives The faculty and students in the new MAGD major are excited about the prospect of a new Computer Science major on the UW—Whitewater campus The Computer Science faculty has already implemented four new courses in support of this extremely popular new major Other courses have been suggested, but without the establishment of a Computer Science major, it is unlikely that more advanced courses in support of the new MAGD major could be offered on any regular basis 2.3 Relation to Mission Statement and Strategic Academic Plan: The strategic plan of the University highlights the five strategic areas: Programs and Learning, the ScholarEducator Community, Diversity and Global Perspectives, Regional Engagement, and Professional and Personal Integrity In particular, the plan proposes to provide Programs and Learning by striving to “provide dynamic and accessible educational and co-curricular programs This will be accomplished, in part, by focusing on attracting and supporting academically motivated and involved students who demonstrate a strong work ethic and passion for success.” The new major in Computer Science will attract many academically motivated students as it provides a door to excellent career opportunities in an ever expanding world of technology applications 3 The goal of providing a Scholar-Educator Community will be enhanced by a Computer Science major Without this major, it will be difficult to attract and retain faculty with primary research interests in Computer Science It will also alleviate some of the difficulties our current faculty experience in attracting grant funding when the institution currently does not even support a major in the area of research these faculty pursue The goal of Regional Engagement suggests that “we will strengthen mutually beneficial partnerships within the University, within the UW System and with external constituents.” The skills developed by the students and faculty in a Computer Science major will provide significant partnership opportunities with regional businesses, secondary schools, as well as with other UW System schools The need for Computer Science expertise will continue to exist in the foreseeable future, and the new major will allow for many joint ventures that use the expertise developed at UW—Whitewater DESCRIPTION 3.1 Program Description: The Computer Science Major prepares students for a wide range of careers using computer technology Graduates are prepared to use modern technology and mathematical theory to engineer solutions that affect our daily lives Depending on a student’s choice of concentrations within the major, a graduate could be prepared to work for a company needing a specialist in commercial software development, web site development and administration, systems programming, computer security, computer animation, industrial programming applications, software engineering, software testing, or operation of a wide range of computer and computer controlled equipment Students obtaining a BSE degree can be licensed to teach Computer Science in secondary schools Students can be prepared to begin graduate programs in Computer Science or Computer Engineering 3.2 Objectives: Academic objectives: This major will be designed to give students a strong start in a career related to Computer Science with substantial skills in computer programming and the theoretical background to allow them to grow as the field changes design, implement, and test complex computer programs while working both individually and within a development team 4 LEARNING OUTCOMES: OUTCOMES Upon completion of this program, students will be able to: WHERE TAUGHT HOW ASSESSED The CORE programming courses: Course objective surveys in each class  MCS 220  COMPSCI 222  MCS 231  COMPSCI 223  COMPSCI 476 Project evaluation reports in MCS 231, COMPSCI 223, and COMPSCI 476 Course objective surveys in each class  assess the correctness, theoretical capabilities, and limits of computer software  COMPSCI 271  COMPSCI 412  COMPSCI 302  MCS 475  COMPSCI 476  COMPSCI 434  discuss with special expertise and perform advanced relevant tasks in areas of specializations such as web development, Computer Science research, scientific computation applications, and/or computer hardware The various courses within each specialization course areas Course objective surveys in each class  BSE students will demonstrate their ability to provide classroom instruction in Computer Science in accordance with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s rules for the licensure of secondary teachers of Computer Science The licensure courses taught by the Licensure practice College of teaching experience Education  write complex computer programs involving: o the use of linked lists, stacks, queues, binary trees, hash tables, and heaps; o multiple classes, inheritance, and polymorphism; o appropriate applications of recursion; and o sophisticated logic and special case handing  demonstrate fluency in at least two computer programming languages by writing multiple programs at the intermediate to advanced levels in those languages  select, design and implement appropriate data structures to solve complex computer programming problems  demonstrate their knowledge of computing machinery and computer networks to an extent that would allow them to pursue specialized training in a wide variety of machine design, operation, or repair careers 3.3 Alumnae surveys Course objective surveys in each class Alumnae surveys Curriculum: The Computer Science major will consist of 36 credits, 18 credits in Core Courses that will be required of all majors and 18 credits for each of two credit areas of specialization selected from four such concentration areas The Core Courses cover very traditional computer programming techniques, the basics of computer software and hardware organization, and include a capstone course that teaches students techniques to tackle large scale programming projects Each student will then complete courses in two of four areas of specialization determined by their personal interests and career goals The Systems Programming Specialization is appropriate for students preparing for a career in commercial software development The Conceptual Computer Science Specialization is appropriate for students interested in graduate work or eventually doing Computer Science research The Web Techniques Specialization is appropriate for students preparing to implement advanced World Wide Web applications The Applied Computing Specialization is appropriate for students interested in a career in the sciences or in industrial computer applications COMPUTER SCIENCE MAJOR REQUIREMENTS CORE COURSES 18 credits completed by all majors One of  COMPSCI 172 Introduction to Object Oriented Programming in JAVA  COMPSCI 174 Introduction to C++ One of  MCS 220 Concepts of Programming  COMPSCI 222 Intermediate C++ One of  MCS 231 Concepts of Data Structures  COMPSCI 223 Advanced C++ COMPSCI 271 Assembly Programming COMPSCI 412 Computer Organization COMPSCI 476 Software Engineering These are introductory programming courses each requiring one mathematics course beyond mathematics proficiency as a prerequisite and, for those students with no previous programming experience, one beginning programming class The student may choose between these two courses, one which teaches the JAVA programming language and one which teaches the C++ programming language These are intermediate programming courses involving more advanced programming techniques, more advanced language syntax, complex logical structures, and more sophisticated output design They require one of the introductory programming courses, COMPSCI 172 or COMPSCI 174, as prerequisite These are advanced programming courses covering the theory of data structures and the algorithms associated with their use They require one of the intermediate programming courses, MCS 220 or COMPSCI 222, as prerequisite This is an introductory course in assembly language programming teaching both the syntax and techniques of the language and the relation the language has with the machine hardware that executes the programs This course requires one of the introductory programming courses as prerequisite This course teaches students the structure of modern electronic computers and how programming changes to reflect the differences in processor design This course requires the Assembly Programming course as prerequisite This is a new course designed to be a capstone experience for all majors teaching them how to apply their skills to design and implement completely a complex computer program while working in a team with other students This course requires one of the advanced programming courses as prerequisite 7 SYSTEM PROGRAMMING SPECIALIZATION select of the following courses COMPSCI 302 This course covers the structure of microprocessors and Computer Logic microprocessor systems, programming in machine language, computer logic and logic circuits, and interfacing COMPSCI 322 This course is an introduction to the theory of computer languages and Computer Languages the construction of assemblers and compilers Students will write a and Compilers small assembler and a small compiler, and will compare features of many computer languages COMPSCI 424 This course covers problems encountered by computer operating Operating Systems systems including resource management, memory management, virtual memory, concurrent programming, and distributed systems Algorithms are presented for deadlock, memory paging, job scheduling, memory allocation, and performance measurement MCS 475 This course explores the OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) Network Engineering networking model, standard networking protocols, and network architecture including implementation, administration and maintenance Students will also gain "hands-on" networking experience by installing and setting up a network operating system, building a small LAN, and managing network servers CONCEPTUAL COMPUTER SCIENCE SPECIALIZATION COMPSCI 332 This course introduces basic artificial intelligence principles including Artificial Intelligence simple representation schemes, problem solving paradigms, constraint propagation, search strategies and learning approaches Knowledge representation, natural language processing, gaming, machine learning and user modeling will be explored Students should have written moderately complex computer programs in a high level language COMPSCI 433 This course is a survey of algorithms needed for searching, sorting, Theory of Algorithms pattern matching, analyzing graphs, and a variety of other problems of discrete mathematics Analysis of algorithm efficiency and space/time tradeoffs are discussed COMPSCI 434 This course is an introduction to the theory of computation It Theory of discusses finite automata and Turing machines as models of Computation computation It includes discussions of regular sets, recursive and partially recursive functions, context free grammars, the halting problem, undecidable problems, complexity, and NP-completeness 8 WEB TECHNIQUES SPECIALIZATION COMPSCI 381 This course covers Javascript, a computer language for adding Javascript and flexibility and functionality to web pages with the capability to interact with HTML forms, browsers, Java applets, and other objects DHTML found on a web page Students will learn to harness its abilities to manage windows, forms, events, cookies, etc COMPSCI 382 Perl and CGI scripting are key to processing web forms, as well as for Perl and CGI Scripting automating a wide range of server tasks Perl is optimized for scanning text files, extracting information and generating reports/web pages based on the results This course will provide a thorough introduction to the Perl language, with an emphasis on its use in processing web forms Students will learn to manipulate data, generate dynamic web pages, control email and much more One of The first course is intended to introduce students to Web Server  COMPSCI 481 software and UNIX and UNIX-like operating systems from the Web Server an perspective of the System Administrator Web server configuration will be studied, including optimization, security issues and virtual UNIX Administration server administration  COMPSCI 482 The second course introduces students to MySOL databases and PHP3 Web Database scripting on a UNIX platform Students will create and interact with databases via the web Topics will include SQL; creating, accessing Development and updating server-side databases; a variety of database-to-web interface tools; and the PHP embedded scripting language Transactions with other database products via PHP will also be considered APPLIED COMPUTING SPECIALIZATION COMPSCI 347 This is a new course (previously taught as a Special Studies course) Scientific Computing This course provides basic tools for numerical computation within a scientific context It focuses on the development and implementation of numerical algorithms and visualization of complex data sets Numerical methods include roots of nonlinear equations, linear systems, eigenvalue problems, numerical integration, initial value problems, and data fitting MATLAB is used COMPSCI 451 This is a new course This course covers Modern Applied Computing Topics in Modern which includes programming on new platforms such as mobile Applied Computing devices, network security, wireless networks, data mining and recommender systems, user modeling, and human computer interactions Students will discuss papers or books related to the chosen topic, design and/or develop an application related to the topic MATH 471 This course is an introduction to the techniques of Numerical Numerical Analysis Analysis Problems considered will include linear systems, matrix inversion, the complete and special eigenvalue problems, solutions by exact and iterative methods, orthogonalization, gradient methods, stability, and elementary error analysis It will make extensive use of microcomputers and programs using a high level language 9 In addition, all students in the major will be required to complete the following UNIQUE REQUIREMENTS MATH 253 Calculus and Analytic Geometry I MATH 280 Discrete Mathematics An English writing course The prerequisite structure will allow a student to complete the Core Courses in four semesters or to stretch this out to six semesters Each of the areas of specialization can be completed in either two or three successive semesters Note that the Applied Computing Specialization requires a second semester of Calculus (MATH 254) as prerequisite In addition to these courses, undergraduate students obtaining a BA/BS in the College of Letters and Sciences are required to complete a collection of 32 credits of Proficiency and General Education requirements and complete an approved minor usually consisting of an additional 18 to 24 credits of work As a major within the College of Letters and Sciences, there will be no special entrance requirements into the Computer Science Major That is, any student meeting the prerequisites for the Computer Science courses in the major may take these courses whether or not they have declared a major in Computer Science All students in the major will be required to have an overall combined GPA of 2.0 and a GPA of 2.0 in the courses counted in the major in order to graduate Students completing a BSE degree from the College of Education will be required to complete a set of licensure courses comprising an additional 33 credits A student wanting to complete this program will need to be admitted as a student in the College of Education 3.4 Interrelationship with Other Curricula: The University of Wisconsin–Whitewater currently has several programs using computer technology It currently offers a Computer Science minor, a Web Site Development and Administration minor, the Management Computer Systems major, the Information Technology major, and the technology track in the new Media Arts and Game Development (MAGD) major Having a strong Computer Science major on campus is unlikely to interfere with these programs, and is more likely to support these programs There is already close cooperation between the faculty in the Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences and faculty in the departments housing these other programs It is certainly true that some students already in the existing computer technology programs will find a major in Computer Science more attractive and will change majors On the other hand, a major in Computer Science is likely to attract more students to UW—Whitewater interested in computer technology, and many of these students will end up switching to these other majors after arriving on campus The bottom line will be that the University will be offering students a wide array of computer related majors from which to choose, and, in the end, will serve them better 10 3.5 Accreditation Requirement: No special accreditation is needed for a major in Computer Science 3.6 Diversity: Diversity remains a nation-wide problem in Computer Science For example, only about 12 percent of students graduating with degrees in Computer Science are women This was not always the case; in the 1980’s close to 40 percent of the Computer Science majors were women Although there have been debates for years about why so few women and other minorities choose not to study Computer Science, it means that those women and minority students who finish a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science have tremendous opportunities when they enter the job market Unfortunately, according to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, a large percentage of women and minorities who enter technology jobs leave these jobs for other professions This may well be due to the isolation these workers feel making it all the more important to encourage more women and minorities to enter the field to counteract this trend Both the UW—Whitewater and the UW—System have stated strong commitments to Inclusive Excellence, an effort to help each of the of the System schools to plan a set of actions to focus specifically on fostering greater diversity, equity, inclusion, and accountability at every level of university life The UW— Whitewater Select Mission and Strategic Plan make explicit reference to the need to improve diversity The University’s August 2007 Diversity Plan contains the following goals:     To provide access to higher education for all students, including those from historically underrepresented groups In doing so, to educate a student body that is representative of the population of southeastern Wisconsin To employ a workforce that is representative of the population of southeastern Wisconsin To ensure success of all students who are admitted to UW—Whitewater To provide a campus climate that is accepting and respectful of diversity The University’s Inclusive Excellence Guidelines provide long-term goals for achieving a multicultural curriculum, for recruiting and retaining a diverse student body, faculty, and administrative staff, and providing student support services specific to helping women and minorities in fields where they are traditionally underrepresented The UW—Whitewater Equity Scorecard of June 2007 and it Addendum in September 2009 carefully track trends in applications, acceptances, enrollment, retention, and graduation rates for minorities In many areas, trends are encouraging, and in areas where they are not, the University is investigating what it can to make improvements Periodically, the University conducts a Campus Climate Survey to track attitudes toward diversity issues across campus helping to monitor the effectiveness of its Diversity Plan The Computer Science faculty at the University of Wisconsin—Whitewater currently consists of eleven people This group already shows considerable diversity which offers important role models for students Of the eleven faculty members, four are women, and only three are native-born American males The faculty represents five different countries of national origin Hiring practices of the department insure that minority candidates are encouraged to apply and are given particular attention in the department’s evaluation of potential candidates The Management Computer Systems (MCS) major at UW—Whitewater has had some success recruiting women and minority students through regular informational sessions offered to area high school students and to students already on campus The faculty teaching in the Computer Science minor has already been 11 cooperating with the Management Computer Systems faculty on these ventures, so it is expected that the Computer Science major faculty will continue these recruitment efforts in cooperation with the other technology programs on campus At one time MCS had a visitation program where faculty would visit regional high schools to encourage students to consider UW—Whitewater’s top-ranked technology major when applying to colleges With a new major on campus, it may be beneficial to plan these types of visitations as a vehicle for advertising the new program, perhaps in conjunction with new recruitments efforts by MCS 3.7 Collaboration: Although no collaborations have yet been discussed with other UW—System programs outside of UW— Whitewater, there will be many opportunities to pursue such collaborations once the new major is implemented Computer Science is a popular major offered at most UW—System campuses, and it would be good for these programs to take advantage of the specific expertise of faculty members at similar programs at their sister institutions The sharing of courses will give students a wider variety of subjects to study and give institutions more chances to offer courses that might not run due to low enrollment if it were not for the sharing of students For example, the Management Computer Systems program has worked cooperatively with a similar program at UW—Oshkosh to investigate the sharing of courses delivered through distance learning technology 3.8 Outreach: Since there are always individuals and businesses in need of assistance from experts in computer technology, any major in Computer Science will have opportunities for community outreach For example, the System Analysis and Design courses taught by the Management Computer Systems program has a long tradition of implementing computer solutions to technology problems faced by members of the Whitewater community The planned Computer Engineering course, a course that would be required of all Computer Science majors, could serve this same purpose In addition, it is important that a Computer Science program help majors find appropriate summer internships with area businesses needing assistance with technology This provides another avenue of outreach that can be of great benefit to both the community and the students 3.9 Delivery Method: Currently, all courses offered in the Computer Science minor and the Management Computer Systems major are offered in a face-to-face format Most of the Computer Science courses being offered by the department have either used the traditional lecture format or a lecture/lab format As the popularity of the Computer Science courses increase, there will be interest in moving some of the course sections to an online or hybrid format New faculty will replace older faculty approaching retirement age, and the new faculty will be in a better position for such course development NEED 4.1 Comparable Programs in Wisconsin: Most comprehensive universities in the State of Wisconsin and in the United States offer majors in Computer Science It has become part of the standard offerings for good reason Over the last 50 years, computers have gone from being unusual features only found in major universities, large government 12 installations, and multi-million dollar corporations to being an expected part of most workers’ lives on a daily basis A new major in Computer Science at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater will compete with similar majors at sister institutions, but the unique nature of our university with its already well established Management Computer Systems major is unlikely to draw significantly from the student populations heading to these sister institutions The specific expertise of our current faculty and their interests in artificial intelligence and algorithms will distinguish the major at UW—Whitewater from those at sister institutions We envision a major strong in software development and network applications This is in contrast to the following major programs in Computer Science provided by other four-year campuses EMPHASES IN EXISTING COMPUTER SCIENCE MAJORS IN THE UW—SYSTEM UW — INSTITUTION Eau Claire Green Bay LaCrosse EXPERTISE IN COMPUTER SCIENCE Has major emphases  Computer Science (60 cr)  Computer Engineering (63 cr)  Software Engineering (39 cr)  Geographic Information Systems (60cr) and minors CS department contains faculty members and academic staff members CS major has two tracks  Disciplinary (for those interested in pursuing careers in fields such as software development immediately after graduation)  Interdisciplinary ( to help students understand some of the more complex principles that form the foundation of topics in CS and Math) They also offer a minor in CS The computer science major has full time faculty members They offer a CS major consisting of 40 credits and a minor consisting of 19 credits Both the major and minor have Teacher Certification tracks The department also participates in dual degree programs with UW—Madison, UW—Milwaukee and the Univ of Minnesota Unique to the department is a dual degree option for completing both the Computer Science BS degree and the Master of Software Engineering degree in a 5-year combined track They also offer a Masters in Software Engineering degree CS department contains faculty members and academic staff members 13 Wisconsin’s major research university Undergraduate program in Computer Science  An undergraduate major in computer science results in a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts degree in the College of Letters and Science  The certificate program in computer science results in a Computer Science Certificate Graduate Programs in Computer Science  Computer Sciences Department offers study toward the M.S degree and the Ph.D degree in Computer Sciences The Department is consistently ranked in the top ten CS departments in the U.S Milwaukee Designated as one of two Research Universities in Wisconsin Undergraduate Programs  Computer Science Major  Computer Engineering Major (jointly offered with Electrical Engineering)  Computer Science Minor  Applied Math and Computer Science Major (jointly offered with Mathematics) Graduate Programs  MS Program in Computer Science  Ph.D Program in Computer Science  Doctoral Program in Medical Informatics Oshkosh Consists of three emphases for the CS major  Computer Science  Software Engineering  Computer Information Systems They also offer a minor CS department contains faculty members and academic staff members Parkside They offer a BS degree in computer science, a minor in CS, a minor in web development and a Master of Science in Computer and Information Systems CS department contains faculty members and academic staff members Platteville Computer Science major leads to a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science degree in two emphases  Computer Information Systems  Computer Technology The department offers a general minor There is also a major in Software Engineering It also offers an International Masters Degree in Computer Science in conjunction with two other universities Dept consists of 10 members (both faculty and academic staff) River Falls The computer science and information systems department offers two major options  Computer Science  Information Systems The program has faculty members Madison 14 The following major emphases are offered  Applied Mathematics and Computer Science  Game Design and Development The following minors are offered  Computer Science minor  Mathematics minor (non-teaching or teaching) The Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science exceeds 30 members Superior Majors:  Computer Science (comprehensive - no minor required) 57cr  Computer Science 36 cr Minors:  Computer Science  Computer Science - Teaching  Information Technology The department contains faculty members and academic staff members Now, only UW–Whitewater and UW–Stevens Point lack degree programs in Computer Science It has become an expected major just as Mathematics, Biology, Music, and English are majors expected at any comprehensive university Stout 4.2 Comparable Programs Outside Wisconsin: As stated above in (4.1), most comprehensive universities in the United States offer majors in Computer Science Thus, there are programs available at virtually all campuses in neighboring states, both public and private For example, the following institutions currently support Computer Science majors similar to the one we now propose: Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, Arkansas University of Delaware , Newark, Delaware San Jose State University, San Jose, California Wichita State University, Wichita, Kansas University of San Diego, San Diego, California University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth, Minnesota University of Nebraska at Kearney, Kearney, Nebraska Indiana State University, Terre Haute, Indiana 10 DePaul University, Chicago, Illinois 11 Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 12 Southern Oregon University, Ashland, Oregon 13 Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Texas 14 New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico 15 The major in Computer Science at the University of Wisconsin—Whitewater will attempt to distinguish itself from the many other competing programs in several ways First, it will offer areas of specialization which take advantage of the special knowledge bases of the UW—Whitewater faculty Second, it will offer the major on a campus that provides a wide range of technology-related programs from Gaming to Information Infrastructure Some students will prefer studying at UW—Whitewater because, as entering freshmen, they will not yet know which of these many areas will be the most appealing to them, and the variety of Whitewater programs will give them a variety of options Finally, UW—Whitewater has a special mission to serve students with physical and learning challenges and has an excellent support staff that helps these students with their special needs Computer Science is an exciting major for these students since it not only leads to careers that are not physically challenging, but computers can usually be programmed to compensate for a person’s own limitations in movement, sight, hearing, or even perception The Management Computer Systems program has had a tradition of accommodating students with specific disabilities Many of the current MCS majors are wheel-chair bound MCS has had at least two students who were legal blind, and some who have learning disabilities The program has always made accommodations for these students, and this tradition would carry over to the new major in Computer Science as many of the faculty will have been involved in both programs There are cases where students with physical challenges have wanted to attend UW—Whitewater because of their reputation for dealing with students with their physical handicaps, but these students went elsewhere because the campus did not offer a Computer Science major 4.3 Regional, State and National Needs: There continues to be a large number of jobs available for graduates trained in Computer Science, and it is predicted that the US economy will be unable to fill the expected openings in computer technology careers In particular, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics web site, the job of Computer Software Engineer will see an increase of 175,000 jobs in the US over the period 2008-2018 The following three lists from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is enlightening Occupations with the Most New Jobs: Bachelor's Degrees 2002-2012 Elementary school teachers, except special education Accountants and auditors Computer systems analysts Secondary school teachers, except special and vocational education Computer software engineers, applications Special education teachers Computer software engineers, systems software Network systems and data communications analysts Network and computer systems administrators 10 Computer programmers Six of the 10 occupations (highlighted) with the most new jobs are Computer Science-related occupations 16 Ten Fastest Growing Occupations for College Grads 2004-2014 Network systems and data communications analysts Physician assistants Computer software engineers, applications Physical therapist assistants Dental hygienists Computer software engineers, systems software Network and computer systems administrators Database administrators Physical therapists 10 Forensic science technicians Half of the ten (highlighted) fastest growing occupations for college graduates are Computer Sciencerelated occupations PROJECTIONS DATA FROM NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT MATRIX Projected Change, 2008-18 Employment, Occupational Title SOC Code Employment, 2008 Number Percent 2018 Computer software engineers and 1,336,300 1,619,300 283,000 21 computer programmers Computer programmers 15-1021 426,700 414,400 -12,300 -3 Computer software engineers 15-1030 909,600 1,204,800 295,200 32 Computer software engineers, 15-1031 514,800 689,900 175,100 34 applications Computer software engineers, 15-1032 394,800 515,000 120,200 30 systems software This shows the projected growth in computer science-related occupations over the ten year period from 2008 through 2018 The salary expectation for those receiving a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science is considered to be very high, that is, in the top quarter of available salaries Student Demand – Future Enrollment: Year New students admitted Continuing students Total enrollment Graduating students Implementation 2nd year year 10 10 15 18 3rd year 10 10 20 10 4th year 13 10 23 12 5th year 15 10 25 15 It is expected that existing majors in Management Computer Systems and Information Technology will benefit in enrollment by the implementation of a new major in Computer Sciences as new students will come to campus seeking one major and transfer to one of the other majors as they learn more about the diversity of programs All three programs foresee increases in student demand as computer related majors 17 across the country are seeing increases after a 50% decline over a six-year period An article in the May 2011 issue of Computer Research News shows increases in new bachelor’s degrees awarded in Computer Science over the past two year 4.4 Collaborative or Alternative Program Exploration: There is now close cooperation among the technology majors on campus and the minor programs offered in Mathematical and Computer Sciences These programs include the Management Computer Systems major, the Information Technology major, and the Media Arts and Game Development major It is expected that this cooperation will only increase with the introduction of a Computer Science major Several of the courses offered in these programs are shared, and planning is done with all parties involved As for cooperation with other UW System campuses, there would be a willingness to share faculty resources although most programs around the system at the moment stand alone due in part to the nature of Computer Science courses which depend heavily on the hardware and software available to students locally ASSESSMENT AND ADVISING 5.1 Assessment: The Computer Science major will have a five point assessment plan A In keeping with the policy of the Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences, student evaluations of courses and instructors will be conducted at the end of each semester for every course section taught B In addition to teaching evaluations, for each of the Computer Science courses numbered 300 and above, the faculty teaching the course will provide a list of the learning objectives of the course Each student completing the course as well as the instructor in the course will be asked to complete a survey indicating how successfully each of the learning objectives were met by the course C Students in the advanced programming courses (MCS 231 and COMPSCI 223) and students in the capstone Software Engineering (COMPSCI 476) course will complete major programming projects as part of their work in the course Note that all majors will take at least one of the advanced programming courses, and all majors will take the capstone course At the end of each semester, the instructors in these courses will write a review of the projects completed by the students in these courses In particular, the instructor will select at least one project and write a critical analysis of the work done by the student or students working on that project, comparing the work to the course expectations D All students graduating with a major in Computer Science will participate in an exit interview conducted by the Coordinator of Computer Science (or the Department Chair if the Coordinator position is unoccupied) The point of these exit interviews will be to gather information from the students about their relative satisfaction with the program for possible targeting of curricular improvements It will also facilitate an evaluation of whether the established learning outcomes for the various courses are being met E The program will track graduates from the Computer Science major Periodically, these alumni will be asked to complete surveys indicating their career status and their evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of their undergraduate education The survey information collected in parts A, B, and E will be gathered electronically, making it easy to track results by course or by instructor to assess trends and deficiencies In particular, this will provide a 18 mechanism for assessing whether learning outcomes for each individual course are matching their respective learning objectives The assessment techniques in B and C have been used successfully for in the existing Management Computer Systems major to assess long-range trends in these courses and in the program in general In particular, this information is already being gathered for all MCS courses that Computer Science majors take On an annual basis, a committee of Computer Science faculty will review all the five types of data collected to spot trends and make curricular recommendations The Computer Science major will become part of the UW—Whitewater five-year Audit and Review cycle The program will be expected to demonstrate that it annually collects assessment data using the methods as described above and that it routinely uses the collected information to make judgments about the efficacy of student learning relative to program-level learning outcomes Those judgments spur changes and improvements to pedagogy, advising, curriculum, assessment, changes to learning outcomes, faculty training, and faculty hiring priorities 5.2 Advising: All freshman students at the University of Wisconsin—Whitewater are advised by the campus Advising Center Faculty in Computer Science will work closely with the Advising Center to ensure that students interested in Computer Science get the proper instruction about expectations and requirements of the major The College of Letters and Science has a well-established program to help students with majors in the College transition from getting their advice from the Advising Center to getting their advice from a faculty advisor The Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences will place its majors at the sophomore and higher level with faculty advisors who will be trained to provide the students with personal assistance with their academic advising needs The College of Letters and Sciences funds a Master Advisors program where one faculty representative for each discipline is selected as the Master Advisor for that discipline Their Master Advisors receive special instructions about advising practices and make themselves experts that can serve as instructors to other advisors and be a conduit of information about advising from the College Currently, the College of Letters and Sciences supports a Master Advisor for Mathematics and one for Management Computer Systems The College will designate a Master Advisor for this new major in Computer Science, although it is possible that the Master Advisor for Management Computer Systems can fill this role UW—Whitewater has a Career and Leadership Development office which offers students assistance on a wide range of employment and career planning issues One recent initiative is the Hawk Jobs service where the office attempts to connect students and alumni with employers by letting students and alumni to post profiles and resumes which employers can search, and allowing employers to post job and internship information available to students and alumni As the Management Computer Systems program has always worked well with the Career and Leadership Development office to achieve a very high placement rate at very high average salaries (placement for MCS has traditionally approached 100%, although this has slacked some during the worst of the recent economic downturn) for their graduates, the new Computer Science major would expect to join that relationship As MCS has taken advantage of the office’s sponsored Career Days which allows students to speak with a wide range of employers, this practice will serve the Computer Science major well, also The Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences is implementing a system to assess its advising activities by having each student who meets with a faculty advisor complete a survey reflecting that advising experience The department would this for all faculty advisors including those advising 19 students in the Computer Science major In this way the department can keep tabs on the quality of advising it is providing to students in the major 5.3 Access for Individuals with Disabilities: Of the four-year campus in the UW System, the University of Wisconsin—Whitewater has a special designation as the campus with a mission to serve students with disabilities As a result, all of the campus facilities are wheelchair accessible, and there are special programs in place to meet the needs of students will a very wide variety of disabilities It is assumed that the major in Computer Science will be quite attractive to many students with disabilities because of the fact that working with computers does not require strength or mobility, and because there are computer programs available that can be used to adapt a computer to make it accessible by people with disabilities PERSONNEL 6.1 Current Faculty Requirements: Currently, there are eleven faculty members in the Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences who teach courses in Management Computer Systems or in Computer Science and one long-time member has just retired Some of these faculty members, especially those with advanced degrees in Computer Science, only teach computer courses, while the others generally teach about half-time in the computer area and half-time in mathematics All together, the department devotes the equivalent of approximately FTE to the teaching of Computer Science These faculty members include the four who have Ph.D degrees in Computer Science, Athula Gunawardena, Hien Nguyen, Lopamudra Mukherjee, and Zhengnan Shi Two other faculty members with some formal training in Computer Science are Jonathan Kane and Jiehui Ma Other faculty members in the program are Sobitha Samaranayake, Robert Siemann, Robert Horton, C.V Rao, and Ama Wanniarachchi (temporary academic staff replacing a recent retiree) Some of the older members of this group plan to retire over the next few years (Rao, Siemann, Kane, Horton) The College of Letters & Sciences is committed to allowing the department to replace these faculty members with qualified new faculty with needed expertise in Computer Science Of the remaining faculty, Associate Professors Gunawardena, Samaranayake, and Nguyen have the necessary years of experience to provide continuing leadership for the new major In addition, during the 2011-2012 academic year the department plans to hire two Computer Science teachers to replace one recent and one planned retirement Jonathan Kane has a one-quarter time position as Coordinator of Computer Science to help administer the two minor programs in that area This coordinator position will also be used to help with administration of the new major 6.2 Additional Faculty Requirements: In order to cover the three to four extra course sections every year that will be needed to run the new major, an additional one-half FTE will need to be devoted to the teaching of Computer Science The College of Letters & Sciences supports this addition In the short term, the extra sections can be covered by current staff The Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences has a fair bit of flexibility in course scheduling due to the size of the department, and due to the fact that it offers both Mathematics and Computer Science courses Over the long term, as there are additional retirements from the Computer Science faculty, new hires will be made with staff with more extensive training in Computer Science than those faculty they replace making the staffing of the additional classes possible 20 6.3 Academic Staff: Currently, only two of the eleven faculty members teaching Computer Science courses are academic staff The increase in staffing will more likely be covered by faculty and not academic staff 6.4 Classified Staff: There is a one-half time position for a project assistant to support the current programs in Computer Science This position should be enough to support the new major through its first few years ACADEMIC SUPPORT SERVICES 7.1 Library Resources: The UW—Whitewater Andersen Library provides high quality library collections and information services in support of the teaching, research, and service functions of the university The Library houses over million items, including over 674,037 volumes of books, serial backfiles and other paper materials including government documents, 1,160,012 microforms, and 12,388 audiovisual items The current serial subscriptions amount to 6,938 It provides access to over 34,106 ebooks, 15,000 print and electronic journals (including those via aggregators) and a wide array of Internet-based resources In particular, the UW—Whitewater Anderson Library has significant numbers of books for many of the main aspects of Computer Science including Computer Programming, Data Structures, Operating System, Artificial Intelligence, Web Site Development, Human Computer Interaction, and the Theory of Computation In addition, our school subscribes to several main journal portals which offer the ability to search and retrieve journal articles online anytime, anywhere such as ProQuest, EBSCOhost, and Elsevier SD College Edition Physical Sciences The library also offer the Safari Books Online service through which we can browse and read approximately one hundred titles of core information technology books “cover-to-cover” from respected publishers such as O’Reilly, Microsoft Press & Adobe Press Lastly, the University has Universal Borrowing (UB) which allows students and faculty to borrow from any other UW System library, and items can be received in 2-4 weekdays The Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences already has an adequate budget for library acquisitions Faculty regularly orders materials for the library in support of Computer Science With the addition of three new courses, there will be a slightly increased need for books in new topic areas, but this need can be covered with a slight increase in library allocation 7.2 Access to Student Services: The University of Wisconsin—Whitewater is a comprehensive four-year university with a complete array of student services including admissions, advising, disability support, financial aid, career planning, writing laboratories, computer laboratories, library resources, and athletic facilities 7.4 Technical Support: The University of Wisconsin—Whitewater has a well established technical support helpdesk run through its Instructional Communication & Information Technology (iCIT) Department which offers a wide range of services including technology training, hardware purchasing support, repair, and assistance iCIT at the University of Wisconsin—Whitewater offers a wide range of services for the school in general and for the students studying Computer Science in particular McGraw General Access Laboratory, located in McGraw 19, offers access to general-purpose and discipline-specific software in Windows and Macintosh operating 21 systems The Media laboratory enables students to work with a variety of different A/V and print technologies The Media Lab also houses a checkout facility for A/V equipment such as projectors, cameras and tripods, which are to be used with mobile, online teleconferencing facilities The Distance Learning Room supports VoIP for video conferencing Additionally, a computer laboratory/classroom used mostly by the Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences offer 30 workstations with LinuxWindows dual starts An experimental Linux server has been used for students and faculty in four Computer Science courses FACILITIES - EQUIPMENT 8.1 Capital Resources – Existing Facilities and Capital Equipment: The University of Wisconsin—Whitewater already supports several technology-related major and minor programs which require extensive capital equipment including many well-equipped computer laboratories, campus-wide wifi, and many classrooms of various sizes equipped with computer projection systems Due the recent opening of Hyland Hall, the new home of the College of Business and Economics, the campus currently has more than enough space and technology to handle a significant increase in usage and certainly enough to provide for the needs of a new major in Computer Science 8.2 Capital Budget Needs – Additional Facilities and Capital Equipment Required: No capital equipment or facilities changes will be needed to support the new major 8.4 Security: The University of Wisconsin—Whitewater has had 30 years of experience dealing with the Management Computer Systems major, a degree program which involves similar challenges of student integrity and resource use as would the proposed new major in Computer Science Procedures are already in place that allow students to save work in a secure environment protecting them from plagiarism and destruction of their work Procedures have also been developed to monitor student work to ensure that students produces work that is their own Facilities are provided that allow students to work together in groups when this is required of them for their courses FINANCE 9.1 Operating Budget and Budget Narrative: The University of Wisconsin—Whitewater, having already invested heavily in support of the Management Computer Systems major, the Information Technology major, the Computer Science minor, and the Web Site Development and Administration minor, will be able to implement a new major in Computer Science with a minimal amount of budgetary change The Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences already devotes roughly FTE to the support of the existing technology programs It is expected that this allotment will need to increase by one-half FTE to support the courses being implemented for the new major in Computer Science The current half-time project assistant position allocated in support of the Computer Science minor is all that will be needed for support of the Computer Science major There will be small increases of $1,000 per year in supplies, no anticipated increases in capital equipment expenditures, and a small increase ($2,000 the first year, and $1,000 in subsequent years) for the purchase of additional software for new computer courses being implemented for the new major 22 9.2 Operating Budget Reallocation: The necessary resources for the new major have been committed to the project 9.3 Extramural Research Support: Several faculty currently teaching in Computer Science have obtained or plan to obtain grant funding to support their research program and, to some extent, the undergraduate research that they direct The Management Computer Systems major, already well established on campus, has a record of obtaining private funding for several of its projects Although the immediate cost of the new Computer Science major will be covered by the College of Letters & Sciences and the University, long-term growth of the program may include similar private contributions, although it is too early to predict the establishment of these programs 9.5 Commitment to Maintain Program: The College of Letters & Sciences fully supports the new major in Computer Science and plans to support this program as it does the existing minor programs 23 BUDGET FORMAT: AUTHORIZATION TO IMPLEMENT UW—Whitewater CURRENT COSTS Personnel Faculty/Instructional Staff Graduate Assistants Non-instructional Academic/Classified Staff Non-personnel Supplies & Expenses Capital Equipment Library Computing Other (Define) Subtotal ADDITIONAL COSTS Personnel Faculty/Instructional Staff Graduate Assistants Non-instructional Academic/Classified Staff Non-personnel Supplies & Expenses Capital Equipment Library Computing Other (Define) Subtotal First Year #FTE Dollars $493,976 $508,795 $524,059 0.5 $10,935 0.5 $11,263 0.5 $11,601 #FTE 0.5 7.5 Subtotal ADDITIONAL RESOURCES GPR Reallocation (internal reallocation) Subtotal TOTAL RESOURCES Third Year #FTE Dollars TOTAL COSTS CURRENT RESOURCES General Purpose Revenue (GPR ) Second Year #FTE Dollars $5,500 $5,500 $5,500 $500 $2,000 $500 $2,000 $500 $2,000 $512,911 $528,058 $543,660 Dollars $35,000 #FTE 0.5 $36,050 #FTE 0.5 Dollars $37,132 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $2,000 $1,000 $1,000 $38,000 $38,050 $39,132 $550,911 $566,108 $582,792 $512,911 7.5 $512,911 0.5 Dollars $38,000 $528,058 7.5 $528,058 0.5 $38,050 $543,660 $543,660 0.5 $39,132 $38,000 $38,050 $39,132 $550,911 $566,108 $582,792 ... subsequent years) for the purchase of additional software for new computer courses being implemented for the new major 22 9.2 Operating Budget Reallocation: The necessary resources for the new major... learn to harness its abilities to manage windows, forms, events, cookies, etc COMPSCI 382 Perl and CGI scripting are key to processing web forms, as well as for Perl and CGI Scripting automating... UW—Whitewater’s top-ranked technology major when applying to colleges With a new major on campus, it may be beneficial to plan these types of visitations as a vehicle for advertising the new program,